Star Wars fans will soon be gathering at the San Diego Central Library. Fun, creative activities will be available in the IDEA Maker Lab on May the Fourth (be with you) and (revenge of the) Fifth!
You’ll have the opportunity to paint mini lightsabers, 3D print droids, make Star Wars buttons, participate in a scavenger hunt (and win prizes), and more. All ages welcome.
Registration is encouraged but not required.
To learn more about this cool event, click here and here!
An exhibit inside downtown’s Central Library remembers the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres. Photographs and memorabilia fill a display case on the Eighth Floor, in a corner of the San Diego Ted Williams SABR Chapter Research Center.
Before the San Diego Padres became an expansion team of Major League Baseball back in 1969, the minor league Padres competed in the Pacific Coast League. Between 1936 and 1957 they played at Lane Field near downtown’s waterfront; they would later play at Westgate Park in Mission Valley from 1958 to 1967, and San Diego Stadium in 1968.
The display case might bring back fond memories for old-timers. In addition to many fun, historical photos, there’s a Padres home jersey and cap (1954-1968), old game tickets and other ephemera.
The display items are courtesy of Bill Swank, Tom Larwin, and the San Diego Padres.
The Sullivan Family Baseball Research Center at the San Diego Central Library is a mecca for baseball fans. It’s the largest baseball research collection outside of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York!
Padres fans should go check it out!
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In 2019, about one week after its installation, I posted a blog concerning this amazing, stainless steel, sea snail sculpture, which is called Growing Home. It rises near Petco Park in East Village, in front of the Park 12 – The Collection luxury apartments.
You can read more about this phenomenal public art and see my original photographs by clicking here.
Last night I walked past Growing Home. Wow. I was so struck by its glowing brilliance that I had to take more photos.
And here they are!
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Enjoy some fun photos taken early this afternoon at the East Village Opening Weekend Block Party! The 2026 MLB baseball season has begun and our San Diego Padres have high hopes.
Lots of fans were wandering up and down several blocks of J Street just north of Petco Park. There was live music, dogs dressed like Padres fans, cool lowriders in a row, food, kids making swag chains, a spray paint artist, and even a wiffleball derby!
Too much fun!
The 2026 Major League Baseball season is about to begin! The Home Opener for the San Diego Padres is next Thursday!
I noticed, while walking near Petco Park today, that the latest set of Padres player banners have been put up on street lamps in East Village.
This year there’s a huge addition: Mason Miller! He’s arguably the best closer in all of baseball. Did you watch him pitching for Team USA during the World Baseball Classic? He’s got a flamethrower arm. Wow!
Go Pads! Let’s make the playoffs again this year, and go all the way!
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This weekend, San Diego is going bananas . . . again! The Savannah Bananas have returned to Petco Park, to play two banana ball games against one of their rivals, the Loco Beach Coconuts!
The Savannah Bananas’ popularity continues to grow, with their crazy, kid-friendly on-field antics during “banana ball” games and between innings. It’s like a non-stop circus, all the while playing a baseball game with unusual rules, that include fan participation. (If you catch a foul ball, the batter is out!)
The games have become so popular that there is a league of six teams traveling around playing each other. By the way, the Loco Beach Coconuts are 2-0 versus the original Savannah Bananas team so far in 2026!
Both games this weekend are sold out. Today I walked through the festival atmosphere just north of Gallagher Square, where families (often clad in yellow) were lined up for fun banana ball merchandise.
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A new exhibit was recently introduced to the Sullivan Family Baseball Research Center on the 8th floor of San Diego’s Central Library. Filling two display cases are a bunch of Padres player bobbleheads!
How cool is this?
There are Padres past and present, including Ted Williams, Tony Gwynn, Ozzie Smith, Rickey Henderson, Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Jackson Merrill and many more. The one exception I noticed is a bobblehead of Hamilton (Ham) Porter from the classic baseball movie The Sandlot.
The figures on display, I was told by a librarian, are only a small part of the extensive bobblehead collection owned by Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) member Oscar Murrieta.
Head up to the 8th floor of the Central Library for a better look!
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Anyone walking in downtown San Diego can see how the city is preparing for another Major League Baseball season. With signs, banners, loads of merchandise in shop windows–everyone is getting ready to enjoy exciting Padres games at Petco Park!
Can you believe it? Last year, the San Diego Padres had the second highest ballpark attendance in all of Major League Baseball. Not only do we have the best ballpark, we have the best fans!
I took these photos in East Village and the Gaslamp Quarter yesterday morning. With a month to go until Opening Day (March 26), more fun downtown sights will certainly materialize.
It looks to be another great season! Let’s make the playoffs and fight for a World Series appearance!
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The annual Local Author Showcase of the San Diego Library is now on display on the first floor of downtown’s Central Library!
It’s exciting to see dozens of newly published books every year by diverse authors. Our city has so many creative and talented people! The Central Library is an ideal place to showcase their achievements.
Today I moseyed past the glass display cases and peered at different titles and covers.
A few examples…
At one end of the exhibit, I found a colorful work of art by Judith Parenio! It’s titled Words.
Books are portals to open minds…
I really like this fun artwork. It’s now on public display at San Diego’s downtown Central Library. The five original paintings and the digital illustration prints were created by Mike McCarley (aka Mike Mike), who resides in Ocean Beach and imbues his work with a playful, laid-back beach vibe.
As a sign explains, his work has roots in skateboard art, cartoons, and an enduring love for the color blue. To see these in person, head up to the Central Library’s second floor near the escalators and look for the glass display cases. I believe the exhibit continues through December, so there isn’t much time left.
If you dig Mike Mike’s stuff, check out his Instagram page here. He works professionally in architecture, but his creative heart belongs to painting and illustration.
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Cool San Diego Sights! 